The HFPA is rallying support for the return of the Golden Globes to television

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization behind the Golden Globes, has been methodically garnering support from key groups in Hollywood — studios and networks, advertisers and philanthropic organizations linked to the entertainment industry — before returning to NBC in 2023, possibly Tuesday. -fair. , January, 10. .

in the last few weeks the hollywood reporter The leadership of the HFPA, an organization made up of non-U.S. journalists and media photographers, is telling executives at major studios and networks that the organization is no longer at the center of the storm it was before the 2021 Golden Globes. Los Angeles Times revealed that the HFPA at the time did not include blacks among its then 87 members and engaged in unethical behavior and questionable financial practices.

After a year and a half, the HFPA experimented with important reforms, including the ban on which members accepted obsequies and the lifting of a limit for new members that allowed it to add 21 new members, six of them black, with apparently more changes in my way. (THR I hear that the HFPA is close to adding some journalists who live outside the Los Angeles area to their voter rolls, although they may not be considered full members.)

But the situation is complicated by the fact that a large number of HFPA members voted in favor of the changes, while several others questioned the organization’s sincerity and resigned. (HFPA members have already been pressured to sign NDAs.)

The HFPA also tries to navigate the wider community of advertisers who are the gateway to Hollywood talent. After you First A large contingent of advertisers said they would boycott the HFPA until it makes significant changes. Since then, representatives from the advertiser group and the HFPA have maintained an ongoing dialogue, with the former trying to update the latter on progress, until last week, according to a publicity source, the HFPA was silent. almost at the same time THR It was reported that the HFPA had begun contacting a number of advertisers, including Larry AngrisanRP blackboard simon salonsreflector Melissa HollowayRelations with the Blok-Korenbrot Community Melody KorenbrotRogers & Cowan/PMK arnold robinson and hidden creative danica smith — Serving on the HFPA’s “Public Relations Advisory Committee.”

It’s unclear what effect the creation of the latter group will have on the HFPA’s relationship with the former, but several advertisers say the situation points to a growing gap among those who feel the HFPA still has work to do (such as weeding out members who not journalistic credentials). ) and others who think it’s time to move on and welcome an award show that promotes their films and talent (Globo broadcast is usually the highest-rated film award. The season before the Oscars).

A high-profile spokesperson for the study said: “We, like the rest of the study, feel that the HFPA has made significant progress and gained a second chance. And we’re excited to meet and work with your new members. “

The HFPA sought to promote goodwill in the community, even during this period of uncertainty about its future, and continued to make major philanthropic contributions to a wide range of issues related to the sector. On Tuesday, he announced $4.5 million in new donations.

But whether that will make any difference remains to be seen for NBC, which has been the HFPA’s broadcast partner since 1996 but declined to broadcast Globo in 2022, saying in a statement at the time: “We still believe that the HFPA is committed However, changes of this magnitude take time and effort, and we strongly believe that the HFPA needs time to get it right.” The HFPA rubbed NBC and many others the wrong way, at least with the Jan. 9 ceremony, which ultimately lacked talent or aired, and in March, Sunshine Sachs, a public relations firm from the HFPA since Long ago, he resigned, following D&I Chairperson and Crisis Public Affairs Chairperson.

Sources close to NBC indicate that the network is still debating whether to bring the Globes back in 2023, but it has plenty of reasons to do so, perhaps up to 60 million. In fact, under a 2018 agreement, NBCUniversal is obligated to pay the HFPA and Dick Clark Productions $60 million a year for broadcast rights to the ceremony through 2026. (MRC, owner of DCP, is co-parent. THR through a joint venture with Penske Media called P-MRC). : your competitors. Everyone has at least one: the Grammys and Tonys air on CBS and ABC airs the Oscars, while the Emmys alternate between the big four broadcast networks.

If NBC were willing and able to get out of the Globo deal, an interesting alternative for the network would be the SAG Awards, which also recognizes work in film and television and is now actively looking for a new home. TBS and TNT dropped. But that seems unlikely.

THR It is understood that NBC, if it broadcasts the 2023 Globe (which will be the 80th Globe), will likely do so on Tuesday, January 10, rather than Sunday, as was the custom before the pandemic. This is because the first week of January 2023 is New Years; The other is January 8, which is the last day of the NFL’s regular season, which creates a conflict. NBC Sunday Night Football; And the third is on the 15th of January, on which the Critics Choice Awards have already bet.

The HFPA did not respond to a request for comment. NBC declined to comment.